By Balwant Sanghera

During the past few weeks Canadians, peace loving, compassionate and caring people have been subjected to a lot of aggravation, anxiety and uncertainty created by the White House in Washington ,D.C. For centuries, we have been reinforced with the belief that Americans and Canadians are children of the same mother. We have so much in common with each other.  Our thousands of kilometers of undefended border have been often quoted around the globe as two neighbours living side by side in peace and harmony. Our two countries are closely interlinked to-gether. Unfortunately, all of that has suddenly changed. Now, we have become strangers to each other. In addition to the constant threat  of pending tariffs, Canada's very existence as a sovereign country is threatened.

To their credit, our politicians, decision makers and ordinary Canadians are standing up to defend Canada's sovereignty. We have seen evidence of this rise in nationalism from coast to coast to coast. At the same time, this threat has strengthened Canadians' determination to be self sufficient, least dependent on our neighbour to the south and stand strong. This is a very encouraging development. In a sense, this threat has wakened up Canadians to the reality that we cannot depend on others, especially, the U.S. for our trade, security, support and well being. It is a very timely wake up call for Canada.

The federal election scheduled for April 28 is an excellent opportunity for our political, business, community leaders and every Canadian to stand up for Canada in no uncertain terms. We must bring down the inter provincial trade barriers as soon as possible and encourage more inter provincial trade opportunities. At the same time, we need to look for markets other than the U.S. to sell and buy products. There is a whole wide world out there waiting to trade with us.

Canada is very fortunate to have an abundance of natural resources like fresh water, critical minerals, energy, LNG, crude oil and much more. There is a huge demand for these resources in Asia, Africa, South America and other non-American markets. We should speed up in capitalizing on  those opportunities. At the same time, Canada needs to work on our internal and external security including the Arctic.   Whichever party is successful in forming the government in Ottawa on April 28 must take a very strong stand on our sovereignty and independence. On this issue, Canadians are fully united. Canada is a wonderful country. It is a welcoming and inclusive country, home to more than 200 communities and cultures from all corners of the world. Now, it is time for every Canadian to stand up for Canada and its sovereignty. Let us raise our elbows in defence of this great sovereign, independent Canada. Canada, Zindabad!

Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist.